The Innovative Teachers union and All Alliance Teachers have stated that they have closely monitored the one-teacher one laptop from various relevant State institutions and have issued a press statement to that.
In a press briefing today, the 15th November 2021, the two teacher unions have cited 16 major instances that have called for their rejection of the one teacher one laptop. The group has stated that they are vehemently rejecting the 30%, 70% cost-sharing of the laptops by teachers and government because it is the responsibility of the government to provide quality laptops to teachers. They have stated that the distribution of laptops to teachers ought to have started in 2007 when president Kofour introduced ICT as a subject in schools coupled with the poor Education teachers has in the tuition of the ICT back in the Colleges of education without practicals.
The group said there is an obvious contradiction in the number of laptops to be distributed. According to them, the president last quoted 280,000 laptops and the vice president also quoted 350,000 laptops. Mr. Stephen Ayensu, the founder of Innovative Teachers union, therefore, questioned ” how can one contract has different figures”.
The group is also worried about the changes in the cost of the price of the laptops. “The Price of the laptops keeps changing like a chameleon”. Mr. Ayensu referred to the GES press statement dated 9th September 2021, the price of the laptops was GH¢1831, and the 30% that teachers were to pay was GH¢549 and on the 26th of October, GES again quoted another price for the 30% which is GH¢509. They, therefore, questioned the exact amount K.A Technology negotiated with before starting executing the contract?
They said teachers prefer quality brands of laptops like Dell, Toshiba, HP, Apple laptops like the way parliamentarians prefer Toyota V8.
Mr. Ayensu said teachers feel insulted that the Ministry of Education does not think high for them and has gone to negotiate for these substandard laptops for the second time from a locally manufactured company after the RLG laptops machine break down within no time.
The group said one would have thought that the Ministry of Education would have learned a lesson from the defunct RLG company and not to repeat with K.A Technology company of Ghana. But the ministry will continue to insult teachers with the distribution of laptops which there is always suspicion about it and breaks down within the shortest possible time causing huge financial loss to the state.
They said the office of the vice president and the vice president in person has been brought to disrepute for distributing and launching uncertified TM1 laptops to teachers from K.A Technology Ghana limited who do not even have track records.
